The present invention relates generally to an explosion barrier and, more particularly, to such a barrier for enclosing a room or the like and absorbing or dissipating significant amounts of energy from an explosion in the room to prevent damage to surrounding rooms and personnel in the same building.
Terrorist bomb attacks provide a demonstrable need for increased protection for building occupants from the debris hazards generated by the blast. Loss of life in such attacks is caused mainly by the debris hazard generated by the blast. A small terrorist bomb, for example, detonated in a confined area, such as an office mail room or the like, can cause extensive damage to the surrounding rooms and personnel. Recent blast tests have demonstrated difficulty in minimizing or containing the damage caused, for example, by a one pound bomb in a 20.times.20 foot room typical of a mail room or the like.
Accordingly, there is a pressing need for a low cost, simple, non-intrusive room retrofit or barrier that will prevent damage to adjacent rooms and personnel in a building in the event of an explosion in a room. The explosion barrier of the present invention fills this need and is not subject to any of the disadvantages of previously used systems for containing explosions which have been expensive, difficult or complicated to install and have not served to adequately contain an explosion in a room or the like.